"The novel has great, colorful descriptions that really engage readers and put them right into the setting. The description of food almost allows the reader to taste what Tita is cooking." (Laura Esquivel)
Main Characters Tita De La Garza: The youngest daughter of the De La Garza family. She is the family cook and she has a passion for cooking Mexican meals. Tita does nothing but clean, cook and help out around the house because she has to stay home and take care of her mother.
Mama Elena: The widowed mother of Tita and her sisters. She is a very cranky woman who follows her families tradtion strictly. She is very unappreciative for all the work Tita does for her. All of the daughters fear her and woudn't dare go against her will.
Pedro: Tita's true love who thinks that they are destined to be together even though family traditions forbid it.
Rosaura: Mama Elena's oldest daughter who can't cook, clean or do anything useful. She is favored by Mama Elena because she follows all of her rules precisely.
Dr. John Brown: An American doctor who cares for the De La Garza family. He is a kind man and secretely has feeling for Tita. Summary The book, Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel is a romantic love tale about two people destined to be together but their family tradition is keeping them apart. It tells the story of Tita De La Garza who is the youngest daughter in a family living in Mexico. Throughout the novel, we learn of Tita's fight to pursue her dreams of being able to fall in love. The 12 chapters of the book, that are labeled monthly, also include traditional Mexican recipes for every month, to start each chapter. In the De La Garza family tradition, the youngest daughter was not allowed to fall in love, marry or have kids because their duty until the day they die was to take care of their mother. The chaos starts when Tita's secret love Pedro shows up at her house and asks for her hand in marriage. Her strict mother, Mama Elena denies his request but allows him to marry her oldest daughter Rosaura instead. Pedro agrees to this arrangement but he declares to his father that he is only marrying Rosaura to get closer to Tita. Pedro and Rosaura lived at home on the family ranch which Pedro thought would be to his advantage since he would be by Tita also. What he didn't know was that Mama Elena was watching him and Tita like a hawk, making sure that they didn't get anytime alone.
Time had passed and Tita was miserable. She had to watch the love of her life carry on with her sister every day. The news of Rosaura and Pedro's baby crushed all hope that she had for her and Pedro and this caused her to hate her sister. The only thing that kept Tita from going on each day was Roberto, the child of Pedro and Rosaura. Tita and him had become very close and she treated him as if he were her own. Once Mama Elena became aware of this, she sensed that Roberto was drawing Pedro and Tita closer. So she arranges for Pedro, Roberto and Rosaura to move to San Antonio. This separation devastates Tita. If though she wasn't suffering enough, she soon finds out that her nephew Roberto had died. The death of the child caused Tita to have a huge breakdown which resulted in Mama Elena sending her to an asylum. Dr. John Brown, a local American doctor, allows her to live with him. Tita stays with John for quiet awhile and he helps her heal. Since things were going so well at Dr. Brown's she decides to never return to the ranch again. Soon after her decision, Mama Elena gets attacked by rebel soldiers and becomes injured forcing Tita to move back. She tries to care and serve her mother, but Mama Elena is convinced that Tita is out to get her and that she is going to poison her food. Despite what a great cook Tita was, her mother refused to eat anything made by her. Not long after, Mama Elena is found dead from an overdose from a strong emetic she took for fear of poisoning.
The death of Mama Elena freed Tita from the De La Garza tradition. During the time she was separated from Pedro, she fell in love with Dr. John Brown. Since she was able to love, marry and have kids now, she accepted John's engagement proposal. Soon after their engagement, Pedro and Rosaura return back to the ranch with their second child, Esperanza. As soon as Tita sees Pedro, she becomes uncertain about her love for John. When Pedro hears the news of their engagement, he thought that he was going to lose Tita forever. The night that John askes Pedro to bless the marriage, Pedro corners Tita in a hidden room and makes love to her, taking her virginity. Shortly after, Tita is certain that she is pregnant and knows that she will have to end her engagement with John. The affair between Tita and Pedro causes the spirit of Mama Elena to return and haunt Tita. When Tita tells Pedro that she might be pregnant, he couldn't be more happy. This event causes the spirit of Mama Elena to come out again. She is furious at Tita and threatens her violently. Tita finally stands up to her mother banishing her spirit. As she relieves the ghost, Tita loses all signs of pregnancy. When John arrives back from his trip to the United States, Tita confesses her secretive relationship with Pedro. Understandingly, John tells her that he still wishes to marry her but that it was up to her to decide who she wanted to spend her life with.
Years pass, and the story is focused on a different wedding, this time between Esperanza and Alex, Dr. Brown's son. Since Esperanza was the youngest daughter, she too was obliged to the duty of taking care of her mother. But the death of Rosaura a year before, allows her to love and marry. With Mama Elena and Rosaura dead, Tita and Pedro finally have the chance to be together and express their love freely. On their first night together, Tita and Pedro experience love so strong that it takes Pedro to the afterlife. Desperately wanting to be with him, Tita tries to light her inner fire by eating candles. When she succeeds in creating their passion, she meets Pedro in the spirit world. When their bodies unite, it creates a massive fire that destroys the entire ranch. The only thing that survived was the recipe book that Tita recorded in.
About the author Laura Esquivel was born in Mexico city in 1950. Like Water for Chocolate was her first novel written and she has written seven others since then. She also won international acclaim for Like Water for Chocolate. She wrote the screen play for the film based on the book which won eleven Ariel Awarads of the Mexican Academy of Motion Pictures. Esquivel often talks about the relationship of men and women in Mexico in her work.The book has been translated into thirty languages and there are over three million copies in print worldwide.
Why It's Outstanding..... The book, Like Water for Chocolate is a remarkable love story. The author, Laura Esquivel uses discriptive words to paint a picture in the readers mind. I recommend reading this book because it tells a great tale about a family tradition and the fight to overcome it. The novel also shows a great message to never give up and fight for what you want. Beside being about love, Like Water for Chocolate also includes wonderful Mexican recipes for all to enjoy. The other does an amazing job incorperating the recipes into the story smoothly.
By: Laura Esquirel
Main Characters
Tita De La Garza: The youngest daughter of the De La Garza family. She is the family cook and she has a passion for cooking Mexican meals. Tita does nothing but clean, cook and help out around the house because she has to stay home and take care of her mother.
Mama Elena: The widowed mother of Tita and her sisters. She is a very cranky woman who follows her families tradtion strictly. She is very unappreciative for all the work Tita does for her. All of the daughters fear her and woudn't dare go against her will.
Pedro: Tita's true love who thinks that they are destined to be together even though family traditions forbid it.
Rosaura: Mama Elena's oldest daughter who can't cook, clean or do anything useful. She is favored by Mama Elena because she follows all of her rules precisely.
Dr. John Brown: An American doctor who cares for the De La Garza family. He is a kind man and secretely has feeling for Tita.
Summary
The book, Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel is a romantic love tale about two people destined to be together but their family tradition is keeping them apart. It tells the story of Tita De La Garza who is the youngest daughter in a family living in Mexico. Throughout the novel, we learn of Tita's fight to pursue her dreams of being able to fall in love. The 12 chapters of the book, that are labeled monthly, also include traditional Mexican recipes for every month, to start each chapter. In the De La Garza family tradition, the youngest daughter was not allowed to fall in love, marry or have kids because their duty until the day they die was to take care of their mother. The chaos starts when Tita's secret love Pedro shows up at her house and asks for her hand in marriage. Her strict mother, Mama Elena denies his request but allows him to marry her oldest daughter Rosaura instead. Pedro agrees to this arrangement but he declares to his father that he is only marrying Rosaura to get closer to Tita. Pedro and Rosaura lived at home on the family ranch which Pedro thought would be to his advantage since he would be by Tita also. What he didn't know was that Mama Elena was watching him and Tita like a hawk, making sure that they didn't get anytime alone.
Time had passed and Tita was miserable. She had to watch the love of her life carry on with her sister every day. The news of Rosaura and Pedro's baby crushed all hope that she had for her and Pedro and this caused her to hate her sister. The only thing that kept Tita from going on each day was Roberto, the child of Pedro and Rosaura. Tita and him had become very close and she treated him as if he were her own. Once Mama Elena became aware of this, she sensed that Roberto was drawing Pedro and Tita closer. So she arranges for Pedro, Roberto and Rosaura to move to San Antonio. This separation devastates Tita. If though she wasn't suffering enough, she soon finds out that her nephew Roberto had died. The death of the child caused Tita to have a huge breakdown which resulted in Mama Elena sending her to an asylum. Dr. John Brown, a local American doctor, allows her to live with him. Tita stays with John for quiet awhile and he helps her heal. Since things were going so well at Dr. Brown's she decides to never return to the ranch again. Soon after her decision, Mama Elena gets attacked by rebel soldiers and becomes injured forcing Tita to move back. She tries to care and serve her mother, but Mama Elena is convinced that Tita is out to get her and that she is going to poison her food. Despite what a great cook Tita was, her mother refused to eat anything made by her. Not long after, Mama Elena is found dead from an overdose from a strong emetic she took for fear of poisoning.
The death of Mama Elena freed Tita from the De La Garza tradition. During the time she was separated from Pedro, she fell in love with Dr. John Brown. Since she was able to love, marry and have kids now, she accepted John's engagement proposal. Soon after their engagement, Pedro and Rosaura return back to the ranch with their second child, Esperanza. As soon as Tita sees Pedro, she becomes uncertain about her love for John. When Pedro hears the news of their engagement, he thought that he was going to lose Tita forever. The night that John askes Pedro to bless the marriage, Pedro corners Tita in a hidden room and makes love to her, taking her virginity. Shortly after, Tita is certain that she is pregnant and knows that she will have to end her engagement with John. The affair between Tita and Pedro causes the spirit of Mama Elena to return and haunt Tita. When Tita tells Pedro that she might be pregnant, he couldn't be more happy. This event causes the spirit of Mama Elena to come out again. She is furious at Tita and threatens her violently. Tita finally stands up to her mother banishing her spirit. As she relieves the ghost, Tita loses all signs of pregnancy. When John arrives back from his trip to the United States, Tita confesses her secretive relationship with Pedro. Understandingly, John tells her that he still wishes to marry her but that it was up to her to decide who she wanted to spend her life with.
Years pass, and the story is focused on a different wedding, this time between Esperanza and Alex, Dr. Brown's son. Since Esperanza was the youngest daughter, she too was obliged to the duty of taking care of her mother. But the death of Rosaura a year before, allows her to love and marry. With Mama Elena and Rosaura dead, Tita and Pedro finally have the chance to be together and express their love freely. On their first night together, Tita and Pedro experience love so strong that it takes Pedro to the afterlife. Desperately wanting to be with him, Tita tries to light her inner fire by eating candles. When she succeeds in creating their passion, she meets Pedro in the spirit world. When their bodies unite, it creates a massive fire that destroys the entire ranch. The only thing that survived was the recipe book that Tita recorded in.
About the author
Laura Esquivel was born in Mexico city in 1950. Like Water for Chocolate was her first novel written and she has written seven others since then. She also won international acclaim for Like Water for Chocolate. She wrote the screen play for the film based on the book which won eleven Ariel Awarads of the Mexican Academy of Motion Pictures. Esquivel often talks about the relationship of men and women in Mexico in her work.The book has been translated into thirty languages and there are over three million copies in print worldwide.
Why It's Outstanding.....
The book, Like Water for Chocolate is a remarkable love story. The author, Laura Esquivel uses discriptive words to paint a picture in the readers mind. I recommend reading this book because it tells a great tale about a family tradition and the fight to overcome it. The novel also shows a great message to never give up and fight for what you want. Beside being about love, Like Water for Chocolate also includes wonderful Mexican recipes for all to enjoy. The other does an amazing job incorperating the recipes into the story smoothly.
Work Cited
Book Picture: http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/n1/n5628.jpg
Quote: Esquivel, Laura. Like Water for Chocolate. 25 March 2008. http://homepages.wmich.edu/~m1osborn/likewaterforchocolate.htm
Author Picture: http://homepages.wmich.edu/~m1osborn/likewaterforchocolate.htm
Author Info: http://www.mostlyfiction.com/latin/esquivel.htm